


For the Greater Good

by TunnelScreamer



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Drug Use, F/F, podling violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 22:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21465556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TunnelScreamer/pseuds/TunnelScreamer
Summary: Tavra continues to serve Aughra.  Despite her small spider form, she is given a dangerous mission at the Castle of the Crystal.  She will make a new friend and experiment with mind altering substances.
Relationships: Onica/Tavra (Dark Crystal)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	1. Hidden Chamber

**Author's Note:**

> The chapters can be read as short stand alone stories, below is a guide:  
2 -- Brea's journal  
3 --A message for the Skeksis  
4 --A trip with a vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aughra has some work for Tavra.

Tavra followed the sound of pounding through the cave. It pulsed in the ground and she could feel it shaking her tiny arathim body. She had to find the source. She followed it through a narrow tunnel and into a wide chamber where the ground disappeared into water. The pounding was coming from the cave wall on the other side. She made her way to the water’s edge not sure where to go next. 

Then up from the water came a creature with a wide head the size and shape of a hatchet with tiny eyes protruding nearly at its neck. Above it’s wide maw were nostrils one of which had an eye ball stuffed into it. Tavra recognized this eye, it was Aughra’s. The eye fixed on her and echoing in her mind called to her “Get in silverling!” The creature opened it’s jaws. She leapt in. 

In the darkness she felt the pressure change and couldn’t tell if they were going underwater or if the creature was just sucking on her little body like a sweet drop. The pressure got stronger and stronger and then slowly it subsided. 

The mouth opened. Tavra wandered out and onto a rock ledge lit in the glow of summer sunlight. But it wasn’t sunlight, she realized, it was glow moss growing so thick she couldn’t see the rock anymore. She was in a hidden chamber of the cave.

Not far from the water edge she saw Aughra’s wide frame leaping and dancing pounding her staff and each time it struck it sent vibrations into the ground. Aughra had been calling her here. With a skitter and splat the eye dislodged itself from the beast’s wet nostril and rolled towards its master.  
“Deatea Kidakida” she chanted. “Ah Tavra! Isn’t it lovely? Water mixing with air in the heat.” The chamber was balmy and somewhere behind Aughra steam was rising up from cracks in the ground. “Water in air, quite a lovely pair don’t you think?” She asked popping her eye back in. 

“I suppose the steam is nice.” said Tavra.  
“How long since the last gelfling set foot in this place? Hm? don’t know? Never. Not once, we must change that.”  
“All you need to do is find a gelfling small enough to fit in your little beast there.”

Aughra looked at Tavra unamused “Follow me.” she spread the moss like a curtain and walked into a little hollow.  
“How are your companions faring with life in the cave?” Aughra asked, Tavra had to think a moment about her response. This was the first time she’d seen Aughra since the little band of gelfling had escaped into the cave.

“Well, Deet is happy here underground. She has Rian and a baby on the way. But then there is Kylan, who gets anxious in the dark and is often alone. Everyone else is somewhere between.”  
“And your loved ones?”  
“Onica is a survivor, she surprises me every day with how resilient she is. And Brea is lost in her books.”  
“Hm, watch over Kylan”  
“I will, but you are better off asking Naia, everyone seems to think because she speaks loudest and surest that she’s our leader.” Tavra said with some bitterness.  
“Ha, I ask you. So, do you still serve Thra?” Aughra said sitting on the ground.  
“I will always serve Thra.”  
“Good, do you remember how to write?”  
“I do though I was never much of a writer.”  
“You sister”  
“Yes she is a far better writer than I could ever be.”  
“No that is the task, her words and her journal, just a few changes to be made.” 

It sounded more like a prank than a real mission. “So you want me to write something in her journal? ”  
“No, no, just a simple change, so small a thing.” They sat in silence. This seemed too easy and Aughra was unsettlingly quiet about it.  
“What must I write?”  
“The days, change the days on the page, the next seven will do. Add seven to the next seven.” Change seven dates in Brea’s journal she thought wondering how this would change the future.  
“Is that all or is there more?” Aughra sat silent an unusually long time. “What more?” Tavra got impatient.  
“No more, when you are finished meet me at High Hill. Say goodbye to your love, won’t be back till the end of the unum.”  
“I will do my best.” 

They heard loud splash outside the hollow.  
“Hm” Aughra snorted “Never eh? Or not.” 

They both peered out through the glow moss to see an awestruck gelfling, it was Gurjin. All around him was shining moss and steam, and he was struggling to look in every direction at once. “Ha” Aughra said she looked at Tavra. “A good sign! You best be off.”


	2. The Blackened Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tavra has been sent to make changes to Brea's journal, and reads some of the entries.  
Then it's off to the next mission, but not without a bittersweet goodbye to her Sifa.

She found a crack in the wall that lead back to the main cavern. From there she scurried on to the den in the rock that Brea had made her sleeping quarters. On the stone floor by her sleeping mat sat Brea’s journal. 

Tavra had always been respectful of it but now she opened it with purpose. Replace the next seven with seven she remembered. She would make today seven days ahead and do the same for tomorrow and so on. She looked at the journal, this page had been filled. On one side was a sketch of Rian and Deet standing affectionately side by side. The picture made her curious so she read on.

_Despite everything, I know the world is still a good place. I see Rian and Deet and have hope. Seeing them together warms my heart but it also makes me sad. I’m afraid I will never have what they have. I still have the string of bones that the Rek’yr gave me, someday I want to find him. Mother said I should never chase a boy, that if he were worthy he would come to me. But she didn’t know what the world would become._

She flipped a few more pages looking for today. She came across another sketch. This one had two figures one was of Kylan holding a spear confidently the other was of Gurjin with his back facing out. Brea had captured quite realistically the mangled scars on the drenchen’s back. She read the entry.

_Today Kylan learned to properly throw a spear. Naia tried to teach him but got so short with him, then Gurjin stepped in and he was a surprisingly patient teacher. After some practice Kylan was able to hit the same spot consistently. The twins joked about taking him hunting with them. I know there is more to Gurjin than he shows. For one thing, as he was teaching, I noticed his back was covered in scars. Rian told me the Skeksis tortured him but you would never guess that speaking to him. They were hard to look at and it hurt thinking on how they got there. _

The drenchen’s scars were hard to miss. He and his sister were constantly in and out of the water and it seemed like the only time either was fully dressed was when they were out hunting. Tavra didn’t think highly of the drenchen twins. They were always startling her jumping out of tunnels and if they had an argument you could hear it all over the cave. 

Tavra continued through the days until she found herself sitting on a sketch of an arathim nearly her size.

_I miss my sister. She’s left again. Each time she leaves Onica asks where she’s going and every time all she says is speaking prophecy alters prophecy. But isn’t she speaking prophecy by saying that? I worry about her. Not only that she’ll get gobbled up by some predator but that she’s mixed up in some scheme involving mystics or the ascendancy or aughra. I don’t know who else deals in prophecy. I hate thinking she is being used. The only other reason I can think of for her sneaking off in secret is that she’s starting a new life with the arathim. For all I know she has a place in a hive and maybe even a little clutch of eggs somewhere./i> _

__

She paused. The thought of being used bothered her but she chose to serve. Her calling was something Brea didn’t understand. But her sister was clever, she had nearly figured out where Tavra was going.

As she continued toward the back of the journal her mind lingered on the idea of living as an arathim. She had been in one of their massive hives once as a gelfling with a band of soldiers. They burned the hive to ashes. She remembered the popping of the fat little eggs and felt sick. 

Finally she found today’s page with a date in the corner. Brea had dated each page while she was still outside the cave and could see the moons. The date was written as a symbol that showed all three moons, their phase and a few guide stars to show the moons position. She made her way over to the bottle of ink that sat nearby. She uncorked in and dipped two legs into the thick black goo. With her inky legs she set to work. 

She was lucky, all the moons had been full or near full and all she had to do was blacken them. She looked at today’s nearly full pearl moon. Soon it would be full, a time crudely known in barracks as the patience moon. She never had to concern herself with counting moons, but it had been a time of caution for other soldiers and their sweethearts. Had Brea’s bone gifting Rek’yr been in the caves Tavra might have thought differently of blackening it’s full face. 

Soon she was finished and took a rest. When she saw her sister’s shadow she darted off up the wall and into a crack. The altered symbols sat and waited for their day to come. Each with a bit of black ink to guide along Augra's master plan.

While her handywork could rest Tavra couldn’t. Before she went to see Aughra she stopped off at Onica’s bunk. Up the wall and on a ledge, she found Onica sitting in her bedding tying an intricate knot in some rope. She crawled onto her shoulder and watched the skillful movement of her hands. She was dreading telling Onica that she had to leave. 

“Hello love” She said moving closer to Onica’s ear. Onica smiled.  
“I was wondering where you were, how long have you been here?”  
“Not long. Dreamfast with me.” Tavra said, Onica let out a sigh with a hint of disappointment. She knew what this sudden request meant.  
“You’re leaving again aren’t you?” Onica hesitated, if she didn’t say goodbye than Tavra couldn’t leave, but eventually gave in.

The two connected. Tavra found herself in a memory sitting on a dock by the Silver Sea, Onica’s hand in hers. The wind smelled of salt water and sent Onica’s hair swirling. She was so beautiful and Tavra could feel the pain in her chest of their coming separation. The two kissed a goodbye kiss and then another. In the memory it was always Onica who left, off to sea, but now it would be Tavra. The heartache was the same. 

“Do I dare ask where you are going?” said Onica, breaking the dreamfast.  
“You know I can’t say, I will be back by the end of the unum.”  
Onica sighed again and pressed her cheek to Tavra. “Be safe my love, come back to me.”


	3. The Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tavra delivers a message to the Chamberlain.

When she reached High Hill it was morning and Aughra was waiting. “Quick now, no time to waste!” she took the spider up in her hand. “A message must be delivered along with this” she held a little closed flower bud and spoke a short simple message. “It is for the red one, the Chamberlain. Open it and put it’s powder and the words in his ear.” 

Then Aughra all but tossed her to the ground. “No time! Go now to the Castle of the Crystal!” Tavra did a humble bow and began speaking.  
“I will do m—“  
“No time for that!” Aughra interrupted shoving the spider with her foot. Tavra raced off. 

The journey was long and she didn’t recognize the surface world anymore but the castle was unmissable rising in an arid wasteland. She waited till night to climb it’s black walls, stopping at each window and peering in to get her bearings. Soon she came to a window through which she could see the great hall where the Skeksis held their feasts. She entered the room and hid among the rafters. 

The Skeksis sat around a long table, it looked like they had just finished a meal. Podlings rushed nervously around them cleaning up detritus from the floor, table, and the Skeksis themselves. 

“SkekZok has promised us entertainment, let’s see it!” one said.  
“Yes but first grab a podling, he will do!” the request was obeyed and one of the poor little cleaners was scooped up and dropped in the middle of the table.  
“Now arm him.” one shoved a two pronged fork into the hands of the trembling podling and laughed.  
“This better be good.” The others nodded their gnarled bald heads in agreement. Then the Ritual Master brought a small but heavy box out and placed it with a thud on the table. He lifted a metal latch and the box swung open. 

Out came, to Tavra’s surprise, another podling. This one however was not frightened. He was hard and dense, a fighter for sure. He paused a moment steely eyed, scanning the room. 

He grabbed a spoon from the table and charged at the frightened fork bearing podling who had by that time soiled himself. He gave out a ferocious war cry “HAAUUUP!” and pushed the little podling out of the way with his spoon. Then he rushed to face the Skeksis. 

“Ah feisty” The Chamberlain said in approval. Tavra was also impressed with the warrior, his maneuvers were quick and well executed. She didn’t know a podling could move like that. 

“But why won’t the other one fight? Make them fight!” the fat one grumbled. Another grabbed a knife and jabbed at the frightened fork bearer.  
“Go at him, coward.” in terror the fork bearer jabbed the warrior podling, sticking the fork deep into the flesh of his arm. The Skeksis cheered. 

If the warrior felt pain he didn’t show it, jerking back his arm and pulling the fork from the other podling's hands. Then he grabbed the fork from his arm flesh. With a quick blood splattering move, he swung round kicking back the other podling and, with the fork, struck the knife from the Skeksis claw. As the knife fell clanging on the stone floor, the warrior moved. With a quick twist he thrust the fork through the now empty claw. 

“AAAAaaaaaH!” There was shock and gasps from the other Skeksis. “Enough!” the stabbed one yelled and grabbed up the warrior and threw him across the room. He hit the wall hard and fell in a heap. They all laughed.  
“That was somewhat amusing.” 

Tavra watched his little body for movement while she waited for her chance to whisper to the Chamberlain. His courage was inspiring if short lived. Then more podlings came in, one with a decanter and another with a tray of ornate chalices.  
“Hm a fine digestif but when do we get more essence?” one asked while the others drained their glasses. The podlings rushed around to refill them. One skeksis was pounding an empty glass on the table. 

Tavra watched them squabble and whine and wondered if this was what happened to immortals. If a life without a natural end became so monotonous that the things that once brought pleasure became dull until eventually one wound up at a table like this throwing spirits in the face of a poor podling maid. She would be glad to relieve any of these Skeksis of that burden.

As the night went on the chatter stopped and soon they all fell asleep at the table. The feast was not over, she guessed looking at the podlings standing at attention by the doorway. Still, it was time to make her move. 

Seated near the center was the Chamberlin. She climbed down the wall and up onto his black cowl. She tore open the little blossom and blew the pollen into his open earhole. 

“Power” she whispered.

His sleeping face smiled and let out a whine “Mmmmmm” in reaction. 

“is yours if you take it. You will be emperor. They will all bow to you, and your enemies will suffer. Before the great conjunction you will take his throne in a trial by stone, trial by stone, trail by stone.” she paused to remember the last part as she felt something shift “he will be ashes.” then there was a shudder, something was wrong.  
“No” he said “You will be ashes.”  
Before Tavra could react, she was snatched up by one of the Chamberlain's small back hands. She was passed through his robes to another hand, trapped in total darkness. He held her tight. Then they were moving. He spoke as they walked. 

“So spider has a gelfling voice and mind? Good gift for scientist Mmmmmm. Your voice is familiar yes, it’s All Maudra's daughter. Poor thing trapped in a bug.” From his shifting weight she guessed they were going down stairs.  
“Is not so sad though, Mmmm? Gelfling are short lived but not you, you will live very long if no one kills you. You will live longer than all gelfling, see them die, each one.”  
Tavra knew she wouldn’t outlive anyone if she was given to the Scientist. She thought of Onica and wished she had given her a longer goodbye. Then she heard a voice say something she couldn’t understand, the only word she could make out was gelfling. This was followed by a shout.  
“HAAAUUUUP!”  
“Eeeehhhh!!” the Chamberlain's voice shrieked and his grip loosened. Tavra fell through folds of fabric to the floor. In the light she saw the bloody podling warrior snug in the space between the Chamberlain's hump and exposed neck. He had a cord wrapped around his neck and was pulling tight. The great red Skeksis fell to the ground grabbing at his throat. With a shudder he shook the podling off. 

The little warrior kept calling out the same sentence with the word gelfling at the end. He was looking for the gelfling Chamberlain was talking to.  
“Over here!” with a confused look, he rushed over grabbing her up in his big podling arms and dashing to the balcony. They leapt out to a lower ledge then pulling her close, dove into the water below. 

Back on the shore the warrior finally had a chance to introduce himself. “Hup” he pounded his chest. “Hup protect gelfling.”  
“I’m sorry to disappoint you Hup, I was once a gelfling. I promise, this is not just a convincing impression. My name is Tavra.” So the little warrior wanted to save her kind. “Have you seen any others?”  
“No, keep looking.” he said with sadness.  
“Well I can tell you there are at least seven, soon to be eight.” his eyes lit up “They are my, my friends I guess.” he picked her up and put her on his shoulder.  
“Go to them, yes, now”  
“First I must go to High Hill to see Aughra” he groaned in annoyance. “You don’t have to come”. 

But he did and the podling traveled at an aggressive pace. Tavra was glad to get some rest sitting on his shoulder. After a long nap Tavra awoke to a question.

“Ne seven, eight?” Hup questioned looking at the six fingers of his hands.  
“Hm, look here’s seven.” She walked down his arm and added an outstretched spider limb to his six fingers.  
“And soon eight.” She stretched out another limb. “We are expecting a childing. Well not me, obviously, my friends. She is a Grotton and he’s a Stone Wood.”  
Hup stopped cold. She could feel the muscles in his arm tighten. 

“Deet” he said with a far away look in his eye.  
“Yes, how do you know Deet?”  
She saw his eyes light up and his mouth open wide in a euphoric smile.  
“DEET!” He said leaping and laughing.


	4. Trip like I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tavra has a vision while under the influence of urdrupe berries

Soon they were back at High Hill. Aughra was outside to meet them.  
“Hm who’s this? could it be Hup the paladin?”  
“Hup” said Hup standing tall.  
“Come, we must talk.” She lead them into her home. Tavra looked wide eyed at the massive contraption slowly turning in the middle of the great room. From the look in Hup’s eyes she could tell he didn’t trust the thing. Aughra sat in a tall chair and let out a deep sigh, the two listened. 

“Shadow of a silverling, do you ever feel guilt?” Aughra asked looking more haggard than usual.  
“Yes” she said feeling queasy as she remembered the burning of the arathim hive. It seemed though Aughra didn’t care about Tavra’s guilt but her own. Sitting on a table next to her was a little drinking bowl. She picked it up and took a slurp. Red liquid stuck to her whiskers.  
“More is coming.”

She dipped her little finger in the bowl and bent down to offer a drop to Tavra, it was red as blood. She could tell from the look in Hup’s face that he didn’t trust the liquid or anything else in this place. 

Tavra drank. Then she saw on the table next to the bowl a small pile of urdrupe berries. Somehow Aughra knew where her spidery head was looking.  
“don’t worry, a mixture, not pure” She said leaning back and taking another sip from her bowl. “In another world, things are better.” Tavra tried to focus on her words but they slowly stopped making sense.

“Foolish mistake was crystal made mine broke, bro bro broken kenen” Tavra began to laugh.  
What was this mountain of thing talking about? The laugh sent a tickle all through her. Each of her little legs tingled and vibrated and then went numb. The room expanded and narrowed then faded to a flat shadow of itself. 

She took a deep breath and slowly began to feel the ground under her two feet, and wind in her hair. She looked down to see her lovely gelfling chest, clad in silver spun Vapra robes. She could see the outline of things in the room, the turning contraption, Aughra asleep in her chair, and the little spider at the hags feet. 

“It’s you!” Tavra turned to see Onica standing beside her. She was stunned, all she could think to do was reach for Onica’s face. “Hello” the Sifa said “aren’t you going to talk to me?” Tavra stared at her, she had a rope slung round her shoulder, a bandana tied round her head like a crown, and was wearing a loose summer dress shoulders out in the sun. 

Her hands went to Onica’s waist she pulled her close, the Sifa’s arms wrapped round her shoulders and they met in a kiss. For the first time in a long time Tavra felt she belonged in this world. Then Tavra’s fingers touched the rope. 

“I need it, I’m going to the sea.”  
“I’ll go with you.”  
“Aren’t you serving Thra?”  
“Thra can rot, I’m going with you.”  
“Ah, but what about her?” Onica’s eye’s focused on something behind her, Tavra turned around and there on the floor was a little silver haired gelfling barely a trine old.  
She went over to the little one. “She’s yours…” said the Sifa, Tavra shot her a glare “in a way.” Onica smiled.  
“Hello little snow blossom” she said, dropping to on knee by the tot. She looked like she could have been hers. But something about her face reminded her of Naia.  
“You’re all she’s got.”  
“She’ll come with us then.” Tavra said eye’s fixed on the little orphan. Onica laughed at the idea.  
“Stay, care for her, then when it’s time we’ll sail together. I promise.” When Tavra turned around Onica was gone and she could feel the burning of disappointment. 

The room changed shape again, the rotating contraption in the room seemed larger and Tavra became fixated on it’s nauseating movement. One sphere circling another with smaller one orbiting that and behind it a bigger one and on and on. She felt numb and lost. Over time, how much she didn’t know, the world returned to it’s true form. 

She found herself sitting on Hup’s shoulder. Aughra was removing a bandage from his arm covering where the fork had stuck him.  
“Good healed.” said the immortal hag. Tavra noticed that the podling's clothes were different. He now had on a red leather vest with a clean white shirt and his hair had gotten longer.

“Before you go to your gentle Deet, a gift.” Aughra brought out a wooden box and gave it to Hup. “I hope you both see, for the greater good sacrifices will made, remember Tavra the greater good” Aughra was looking especially worn when she said these words. Hup nodded his and they were off. 

Tavra directed him to the hidden entrance to the cave, a hole barely big enough for Hup to squeeze through. He wrapped the box up in some rope and lowered in down. She would be home soon.


End file.
